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Honestly, some of that shit looks dope, but I would not call anything on that blog a worthy read. Couple nice pictures here and there, occasionally some actual information about a brand in particular, but that's about it. This blog, and just about every other style blog out there (all of them) are thoroughly embarrassing to read. It's all garbage. Why can no one do it in an interesting, intelligent way, that is not sheer self-promotional, hedonistic fluff? It's boring.

Honestly, some of that shit looks dope, but I would not call anything on that blog a worthy read. Couple nice pictures here and there, occasionally some actual information about a brand in particular, but that's about it. This blog, and just about every other style blog out there (all of them) are thoroughly embarrassing to read. It's all garbage. Why can no one do it in an interesting, intelligent way, that is not sheer self-promotional, hedonistic fluff? It's boring.

I don't understand your use of the word hedonistic in this context. Self promotional, sure. But style blogs aren't too different from anyone posting in What Are You Wearing Today in that sense. In fact you could argue that they are less self promotional than that - a good style blog (which I don't pretend to have) says "this is what I like, and why" - but the WAYWT thread says "LOOK AT MY DOPE SHIT!". None the less, we can certainly agree to disagree, but if you could clarify what you meant by hedonistic (which I parse to mean pleasure seeking, perhaps I would have a better understanding of your point.

As far as Barbour stuff goes (the reason the link to ACL was posted in the first place), it looks cool, but I've not seen it worn in a way that makes it desirable to me. The fit is not my taste. I prefer trimmer jackets than how I've seen Barbour jackets worn.

-Jake

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I don't understand your use of the word hedonistic in this context. Self promotional, sure. But style blogs aren't too different from anyone posting in What Are You Wearing Today in that sense. In fact you could argue that they are less self promotional than that - a good style blog (which I don't pretend to have) says "this is what I like, and why" - but the WAYWT thread says "LOOK AT MY DOPE SHIT!". None the less, we can certainly agree to disagree, but if you could clarify what you meant by hedonistic (which I parse to mean pleasure seeking, perhaps I would have a better understanding of your point.

As far as Barbour stuff goes (the reason the link to ACL was posted in the first place), it looks cool, but I've not seen it worn in a way that makes it desirable to me. The fit is not my taste. I prefer trimmer jackets than how I've seen Barbour jackets worn.

-Jake

By hedonistic I mean that it serves merely as a wish list. I want I want I want. I was just thinking about this - I mean, I'm not saying that style needs to be intellectualized or something, I just think it could be approached from some angle other than, "I loooooove this new ______." Or like, "Here's this totally awesome new thing that no one else (supposedly) knows about, I'm telling you about it because I fucking know what's up. I win."

Sure, it's a lot like what we do here, but at least here there is the pretense of it being a discussion, and it isn't treated like a legit publication. That's my beef: people act like these blogs, and webazines are serious publications, worthwhile in any way. They aren't. They are fully self-serving. Unlike, say, a magazine.

I can see what you mean. There are a lot of blogs out there with that attitude (and a lot of people who post here with that attitude too, to be honest). Personally though, I don't find ACL to be one of those types of blogs, I do think what he posts to be elevate from simple "I want this!". I think if all the fashion blogs out there do is get Joe Public to try a little harder then they have justified their existence to me.

-Jake

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I can credit DOC with putting me on to ACL, but ALSO, warning me about it's pernicious nature. As a resource, it is helpful (I guess) but generally speaking, I don't find it that interesting. Just another running blog-machine regurgitating hype and "discovering" (read: piggybacking on) age old brands and trends.

In all honesty, it's mostly dude's "voice" that bothers me. The way he writes is far too whiny and insiderish for my liking. Go get a job for NYT Mag already. Join the legions of yuppies who think their ahead of the curve while sitting in their desk chairs squarely behind it.

That said, blogs like archival clothing, Ready4thehouse, and reference library, have given me some renewed faith in the medium. All three investigate their sometimes interesecting interests from a unique perspective and are concerend with Utility, durability, and design.

it also helps that each author has interests that extend above and beyond fashion, for fashions sake.

Anyway. I'm gonna cut this rant short. and hope that ACL stops blowing up the next trend in American casual/mountaineering/workwear gear, driving ebay prices on said clothings sky high, only to leave them lying in the dirt when the next train rolls through town.

Over Christmas I picked up two of these work shirts (and unfortunately, neither color is on the Levis site) - one in blue buffalo check and one in narrow cream and blue stripes. At $25 a pop, I think they were a great deal.

I also concur that a lot of it has to do with the tone and the voice, not so much the content. The link above being one of the worst perpetrators of this. And maybe, just a little, I'm bitter about the spots being blown on my deal. But sometimes it really makes me want to just get a fucking uniform to wear for the rest of my life.

I should probably dead this rant. The points have been made. I'm just sayin'.

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And could you please expand on your experience with WM, particularly the sizing? Thanks.

the button up i have measures 21.5 from pit2pit and 17.5 shoulders, and that's their size large. it was from their summer line so its a light cotton. maybe their f/w stuff runs a bit more loose for layering?

also, looking at the collection online most of the guys don't seem to be tiny at all so maybe they adjusted their sizing, hopefully anyways.

I also concur that a lot of it has to do with the tone and the voice, not so much the content. The link above being one of the worst perpetrators of this. And maybe, just a little, I'm bitter about the spots being blown on my deal. But sometimes it really makes me want to just get a fucking uniform to wear for the rest of my life.

I should probably dead this rant. The points have been made. I'm just sayin'.

(referring to the current discussion, not just your post)

Hmm. I'm sorry if I'm beating a dead horse here, and if I am ignore me.

I seem to not have too much of a problem with ACL. I find that the guy posts interesting things unrelated to fashion as well as the occasional good find online. Is there anything wrong with that? I mean, isn't the point of blogs to post what you think is cool and what you feel people should hear about? If what he likes doesn't float your boat, then I can understand, but to discredit him just because he has a certain opinion doesn't sit too well with me.

On the other point though, tone of voice, and inability to write is a second thing. I keep up with these blogs, i'm not gonna lie, but it seems to me when the posts exceed 2 paragraphs of writing, I either ignore it or think its absolute terrible writing, like your jake davis post.

One blog that I absolutely think is ridiculous is hyrcollective's blog. The guy has one of the peskiest, stuck up attitudes I've ever seen. There, maybe we can agree, that voice and tone just turns us off from what they have to say or feel. Ironic thing is hyrcollective comes out with magazines where they interview the avant garde of men's fashion. Don't know how they got that done...

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A long yet worthwhile passage on the ode to outdoors clothing and White's logging boots from Norman Maclean's "Logging and Pimping and 'Your pal, Jim.'" It's based partly on his time as a logger. The description of the boots is amazing.

But finally it was late June and there he was, sitting on a log across from me and looking as near like a million dollars as a lumberjack can look. He was all dressed in wool—in a rich Black Watch plaid shirt, gray, short-legged stag pants, and a beautiful new pair of logging boots with an inch or so of white sock showing at the top. The lumberjack and the cowboy followed many of the same basic economic and ecological patterns. They achieved a balance if they were broke at the end of the year. If they were lucky, and hadn’t been sick or anything like that, they had made enough to get drunk three or four times and to buy their clothes. Their clothes were very expensive; they claimed they were robbed up and down the line and probably they were, but clothes that would stand their work and the weather had to be something special. Central to both the lumberjack’s and the cowboy’s outfit were the boots, which took several months of savings.

The pair that Jim had on were White Loggers made, as I remember, by a company in Spokane that kept your name and measurements. It was a great shoe, but there were others and they were great too—they had to be. The Bass, the Bergman, and the Chippewa were all made in different parts of the country, but in the Northwest most of the jacks I remember wore the Spokane boot.

As the cowboy boot was made all ways for riding horses and working steers, the logger’s boot was made for working on and around logs. Jim’s pair had a six-inch top, but there were models with much higher tops—Jim happened to belong to the school that wanted their ankles supported but no tie on their legs. The toe was capless and made soft and somewhat waterproof with neats-foot oil. The shoe was shaped to walk or “ride” logs. It had a high instep to fit the log, and with a high instep went a high heel, not nearly so high as cowboy’s and much sturdier because these were walking shoes; in fact, very fine walking shoes—the somewhat high heel threw you slightly forward of your normal stance and made you feel you were being helped ahead. Actually, this feeling was their trademark.

Jim was sitting with his right leg rocking on his knee, and he gestured a good deal with his foot, raking the log I was sitting on for emphasis and leaving behind a gash in its side. The soles of these loggers’ boots looked like World War I, with trenches and barbwire highly planned—everything planned, in this case, for riding logs, and walking. Central to the grand design were the caulks or “corks” as the jacks called them; they were long and sharp enough to hold to a heavily barked log or, tougher still, to one that was dead and had no bark on it. But of course caulks would have ripped out at the edges of a shoe and made you stumble and trip at the toes, so the design started with a row of blunt, sturdy hobnails around the edges and maybe four or five rows of them at the toes. Then inside came the battlefield of caulks, the real barbwire, with two rows of caulks coming down each side of the sole and one row on each side continuing into the instep to hold you when you jumped crosswise on a log. Actually, it was a beautiful if somewhat primitive design and had many uses—for instance when a couple of jacks got into a fight and one went down the other was almost sure to kick and rake him with his boots. This treatment was known as “giving him the leather” and, when a jack got this treatment, he was out of business for a long time and never very pretty again.

Every time Jim kicked and raked the log beside me for emphasis I wiped small pieces of bark off my face.

Got the Barbour second hand; it's a great outdoorsy jacket. Because of the A-shape silhouette of barbours, I prefer to size down. This means the arms look a little short, however this model has extendable cuffs, which means it doesn't look so bad. These are also helpful when it's raining and you have to reach out and pick something up, for example a dead grouse.

The boots are rather tasty. They have a vibram sole, making them good in the wet, however the leather is very fine and prone to scratches, even from brambles. Good for poncing around the city with an outdoorsy vibe, then, and not much else.

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I came within a hair of buying the MR Ski Sweater from Garbstore but renegged at the last second in a momentary panic induced by the "global economic crisis." One medium left for you dudes out there. Yes, it hurts, but me and 45rpm have plans for this weekend.

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I've been trying to hunt down an anorak in my size for a few months with not much luck, that Mountain Research one looks impressive. Anyone here have it already or checked it out up close and personal?

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I've been trying to hunt down an anorak in my size for a few months with not much luck, that Mountain Research one looks impressive. Anyone here have it already or checked it out up close and personal?

Yes. Gem_art has one. He may have posted it here in the past, but I think it is surely in Either the garbstore thread, or if not, my General research thread.

Happy hunting.

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Discovery HD is showing "The Man Who Skiied Down Everest". Hand me the late pass on this one, because it won the Oscar for Best Documentary over 30 years ago. But shit, I'd never seen it nor heard of it.

Besides being ridiculously entertaining (and evidently a seminal sports documentary), it also showcases more than it's fair share of vintage outdoor steez. Filmed in 1970 and featuring a Japense crew and Nepalese porters/sherpas from remote mountain villages, you get the idea.